Expected Ways
by Untaken
Summary: Only fools seek the approval of everyone.
1. Lost Opportunity

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters are the creative property of Emily Rodda.

It was well past morning and the city of Del had already swelled with activity as citizens of all classes emerged from their homes to enjoy the new day, one filled with joy and peace. The people of the Topaz territory could hardly believe it: an entire veritable year had passed without any sort of monumental calamity or impending doom that would have forced the Deltoran Trio to once again risk their lives for the sake of the kingdom. It was an unexplainable, yet welcome surprise and no one dared to question it.

The sun shone brilliantly from the clear blue skies as it slowly made its way overhead towards the west. Shops and merchants sold their wares with vigor, and local eateries worked tirelessly to feed their hungry customers. Meanwhile, this flurry of movement contrasted sharply with the Palace, whose resident king still lay snoring softly in bed.

Lief could not remember another night that he had slept through so peacefully or with such content. Being king often required daily correspondence with his palace advisors in Del and the regional leaders from Deltora's other territories. Needless to say, it was tiring and left him little time to appreciate the sleep that the rest of the population took for granted.

That being said, last night Lief's closest advisor and concurrent father-in-law, Doom, had taken pity on his exhausted demeanor and abruptly ended the midnight meeting, allowing him to gratefully retire to his chambers. The young ruler had immediately collapsed next to his already slumbering wife and snuggled into her small warmth before falling into a blissfully deep sleep. Too soon, however, the sun had risen once more and the cycle was to begin all over again.

"Lief," a soft voice called. Behind his closed eyelids, the voice penetrated his dreaming state and he furrowed his eyebrows as he subconsciously willed his ears to ignore it. Alas, this person was persistent, and he soon realized it was futile to resist when he felt his arm being shaken rather forcefully.

He half-opened his eyes groggily, only to be temporarily blinded by the bright rays of sunlight streaming through the window. Tiredly rubbing at them to adjust to the light, he was met by the elfin face of his queen, who stood next to the bed and leaned over him.

"Jasmine?" Lief yawned. "What is it?"

"You have slept half the day away, _Your Highness_. It is time to awaken."

"Leave me be, Jasmine," he groaned. "Just a few more minutes." He closed his eyes once more, but knew there was little chance of her allowing him any more undisturbed rest. Jasmine often woke earlier than he did and she always insisted that he not waste the entire day in bed; however, Lief had come to find that he rather enjoyed teasing her with his morning apathy. He swatted lazily at her hands when she continued to shake his arm, and moments later heard the sharp click of her tongue. He stifled a laugh as he envisioned her standing defiantly next to him with a hand on her hip.

"It is almost noon and we have already missed the morning meal," Lief heard her chide. "Do you wish to miss luncheon as well?" The idea of the midday meal made his stomach rumble quietly, but the allure of the comfortable covers quickly silenced his hunger pains.

"I am not hungry," he lied.

Not one to be fooled, Jasmine shook her head in exasperation. "You certainly _sound_ hungry," she rebuked with a sigh. Curse her enhanced hearing.

The boy peeked open an eye to get a more wholesome view of the girl who, as he had imagined, stood impatiently next to the bed, with her hip cocked to one side. Judging from her wild black hair, which appeared even more untamed than usual, he figured she must not have woken very long ago herself.

He smiled and opened both his arms, holding them out to her. "Come back to bed, Jasmine," he coaxed gently in the most charming voice he could muster. When her expression deadpanned at his change in topic, he hurriedly added: "I am... cold." She glanced at the blankets that still covered his lower body and rolled her eyes before obliging to lay down on her side next to him.

Now fully awake, Lief wasted no time enveloping her small frame into his arms and placing a chaste kiss on the tip of her nose. Jasmine may have interrupted his much deserved rest, but he was quite content to merely lay in bed and inhale her scent as compensation. They stayed cuddled for a long moment, each enjoying the warmth the other gave.

"We cannot stay here all afternoon," the girl said softly, laying a small browned hand on his chest.

Lief stared into her emerald orbs, admiring the familiar fire and hidden compassion that shone in them. Her black locks flared over the pillow serenely and he reached up to brush away a stray strand that had fallen in front of her eyes. "And why not?" he teased playfully.

She looked strangely at him. "What do you mean 'why not'?" she repeated. "Have you already forgotten about today, Lief?"

"Today?" he asked curiously in return while absently rubbing her bare arm. "What is the occasion?"

He realized he must have sounded incredibly dimwitted because she did not hesitate to raise an eyebrow in response. "You truly do not remember?" The young king widened his hazel eyes when he noticed the hint of disappointment in her voice. He had heard many tales of Deltoran wives asking their husbands such questions regarding specific dates. More often than not, the questions somehow evolved into arguments which, as far as he could recall, never ended well for the men.

"Uh..." What had he forgotten? Lief silently berated himself for forgetting whatever today was. The boy had not imagined he would ever be stuck in this situation; up until now, he had always done fairly well in remembering such things. He quickly went over a list of several important days in his mind, attempting to single out which Jasmine was referring to.

It was assuredly not his birthday seeing as it was not yet summer; and if that was the case, then it was most definitely not _her_ day of birth as that was only a few weeks after his own. Lief glanced sidelong at the small nest on the nightstand which held Kree and Filli, both still fast asleep. Was it one of theirs? If it was, then there was clearly going to be trouble ahead; he had come to love them as family surely, but they had never celebrated either animal's birthday before and he had no doubt he would be at a complete loss on how to. He was not sure anyone other than Jasmine even knew when Kree and Filli had been born.

Shaking the thought out of his mind, he proceeded to check off more significant dates. He was certain it was not their anniversary or anything of that sort; after all, they had not yet concluded their first year of marriage. Was it something else that she found important? While Lief knew Jasmine was never one to acknowledge such trivial matters, he was also aware that she could be rather unpredictable when she wished to be.

Jasmine continued to stare at her husband expectantly, causing him to panic and consider merely guessing at what day she was speaking about. However, Ranesh had forewarned him before that to do so was tantamount to a deadly game of chance and that, based on personal experience with Marilen, the repercussions for guessing incorrectly were grave.

Not quite ready to face such consequences, Lief mused whether he would be better off admitting that he had absolutely no idea what significance the day held. Indeed, according to his mother, complete honesty was always the most secure way in maintaining a relationship; and in any case, the truth was what Jasmine deserved, was it not?

On the verge of deciding to come clean, a thought of unspeakable horror soon came to mind. What if it was not _one_ specific event of the year that Jasmine was referring to? Perhaps it was a recurring event; a _monthly_ recurring event, in fact. He prayed with all his might that it was not so. The mysterious workings of a woman's body were very vital for childbearing, and he respected that; yet, at the same time, the way it made Jasmine behave had never truly taken his fancy.

Intending to simply ask what today really was, Lief took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak, but stopped short when he noticed the threateningly unamused expression the girl had donned. He gulped nervously and instead switched to a timeless tactic: "You are so beautiful, Jasmine."

At this, her cheeks brightened into a rosy pink and the boy gave himself a mental pat on the back for successfully diverting her attention as he resumed rubbing her arm. She was doubtlessly still not used to such comments from him, which might have been a helping factor, but Lief reasoned to himself that it was, at the very least, the plain truth.

Indeed, Jasmine had grown into quite an attractive woman and the male populace in Del had recently begun to take notice, especially when she dressed more formally for special occasions. Lief did not understand why all the young men took such a sudden interest in his wife; unlike them, he had always found her captivating. Yet, despite her position as Deltora's heroine and as his queen, their gazes still lingered on her whenever the couple made public appearances, much to Lief's chagrin.

Suddenly, Jasmine's eyes narrowed as she glanced at his hand, which continued to stroke her arm, and misinterpreted the intentions behind his words and actions. "We do not have time for such things, Lief," she scolded while slapping his hand away and turning her head haughtily. "Barda could be arriving anytime soon... and besides, it is much too early for that."

Barda, of course! Lief smiled at the thought of his old friend, who he remembered had sent a letter just last week announcing plans to visit Del with his wife, Lindal. It had been many moons since Barda last dropped by and Lief was mildly surprised at himself for having temporarily forgotten about the former Captain.

Attributing it to his recent weariness, the sensible half of his mind swiftly dismissed the thought while the impetuous half began to focus on everything else Jasmine had said. Lief did not often tease her about their more physical intimacies, but he could not bear to pass up this chance and played along.

Holding her chin gently between his thumb and finger, he turned her head back to face him. "As you said before, it is already almost noon," he reminded cheekily. "That does not seem very early to me." Lief knew better than to expect any sort of concession from Jasmine, but he still loved these whimsical moments nonetheless. In any case, his youthful urges rationalized that there _was_ always the off-chance she would agree, and he saw no harm in that.

In response, Jasmine rolled her eyes with a smirk, earning a boyish grin from him. He leaned forward to capture her lips in his own but was stopped by a gentle push on his chest. Lief glanced in confusion at his wife, who had widened her smirk and lowered her eyelids in a sultry manner.

"I suppose you are right..." Jasmine murmured suggestively, "...that is, as long as we do not wake Kree or Filli, of course." She traced the muscles on his chest with the tip of her finger, causing Lief to shudder slightly at her touch. Was she truly saying what he thought she was saying? An inane grin spread across his young face at the thought of what was to come and he moved his hand to begin rubbing the small of her back. "However, you _did_ say you were not hungry. It is a shame, really."

"What?" Lief said in a voice that broke more than he would have liked. Disturbed by the boy's relatively loud whine, Kree began ruffling his feathers as he and Filli slowly stirred in their nest.

"Now look what you have done, Lief," Jasmine reprimanded with a laugh. In one fluid movement, the girl dove under his embrace and leapt nimbly from the bed. She landed gracefully on the cold floor, leaving behind a dumbfounded and frowning king, and proceeded to scoop up her faithful companions, hugging them close to her chest in greeting.

Lief sat up and folded his arms across his chest. "And when did _you_ become such a minx?" he complained, causing Jasmine to giggle at the childish pout on his face. The faint ringing of the kitchen bell could be heard in the distance, and he wordlessly watched as she gently placed Kree and Filli back into the nest and searched around the room to find her boots and dagger.

As the girl scurried, she tossed Lief's cloak and jacket to him. "Come now, Your Majesty," she goaded with a twinkle in her bright green eyes. "It would still be wise to eat _something_, even if you are not hungry."

Lief sighed in defeat and grabbed the attire Jasmine had thrown him, silently regretting that he had agreed to allow Kree and Filli to sleep in their chambers. Checking to ensure the Belt of Deltora was still securely fastened around his waist, he glared lightheartedly down at the Diamond. Withick must have been mistaken when he had written about the powers of that particular gem; Adin knows it certainly had not helped the cause of true love minutes before. Standing from the bed with a yawn, Lief stretched his arms in a wide arc before reaching to slip on his own boots.

Meanwhile, Kree flew up to perch on Jasmine's arm as Filli leapt from their nest onto the top of the boy's head. Taking his wife's hand, Lief inconspicuously stroked her fingers with his thumb until he felt the familiar cold metal of her silver wedding band. Satisfied after locating it as he did every morning, he smiled slightly and led her out the door.

As they walked in companionable silence towards the Dining Hall, Lief found himself to be rather excited about Barda's visit. He had missed the bearded man sorely, more so than he was willing to admit. Indeed, the exchanging of letters could only do so much for conversation and both he and Jasmine longed to once again hear the deep boisterous laughter they had grown so accustomed to.

Sensing Lief's excitement, Filli began bouncing happily on his head, causing him to chuckle softly and break the comfortable silence. He reached his free hand up to stroke the Siskis' fur while Kree fluttered from Jasmine's arm and landed on his shoulder. As if apologizing for interrupting what he had deemed to be an opportune moment, the animals began nuzzling into him affectionately. He grinned at their antics; they knew as much as Lief did that he could never stay angry at them.

Realizing they would be late for the start of the meal, the young king hurried his pace as he held Jasmine's hand. Sharn and Doom had agreed that they would all meet outside at the Palace Gates after luncheon to wait for Barda's arrival. This was a convenient plan, seeing as in his letter Barda had said that he would be bringing some important news with him to Del, and that he planned to tell everyone at the same time.

Although enthusiastic at the anticipation of seeing Barda again, Lief vacantly wondered at what was considered so important that it could not be disclosed in the same letter. Pushing the thought out of his mind, he urged his legs to move quicker. The boy knew if he was not there with everyone else to greet Barda upon arrival, the big man would surely never let him hear the end of it.


	2. Surprise From Broome

**Disclaimer: **All recognizable characters are the creative property of Emily Rodda.

The sun had already begun to set as they waited at the tall wooden gates for Barda's approaching shadow. Fiery orange and hazy red splattered like paint across the sky, accompanying the eventide glow. Holding his wife's hand, Lief kept gazing earnestly over the stretch of cobble leading up the Palace Hill in hopes of glimpsing his friend's arrival. They had been waiting for quite some time and Jasmine, who quickly became bored, was meanwhile occupying herself with her animal friends.

Next to them was the imposing man called Doom, who was engaged in quiet conversation with Sharn. Both of them wore masked expressions on their faces and, judging from their whispering and the occasional grunt, they seemed to be discussing something of great importance.

Off to the side stood Ranesh and his wife, Marilen, who cradled the infant Josef in her frail arms. Breaking for a second from his faithful watch, Lief spared them a quick glance. He was unsurprised to see weariness and lack of sleep clearly etched on their faces, no doubt the result of the sleeping child Marilen carried. They looked considerably older than they really were and the tiredness in their eyes only added to their aged appearances.

Despite himself, the arrival of Lief's newborn nephew into the Royal Family had not particularly affected his life as much as he had expected. Josef surely kept Marilen and Ranesh up at night, but the Palace was an incredibly large structure and Lief could not recall a time when he could hear the loud unceasing cries of the child at night, regardless of what his cousin claimed.

As if on cue though, the babe suddenly gave an ear-splitting howl and began to bawl incessantly. Alarmed at first, Marilen looked down at her son and sighed before starting to bounce her arms slightly in an attempt to comfort him. Sharn and Doom, on the other hand, were interrupted by the sharp cries and paused in their conversation; Jasmine glanced over her shoulder to see what the commotion was, but shortly returned her attention to Filli after discerning the source.

Sensing Marilen's exhaustion, Ranesh carefully scooped little Josef up in one arm and pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "Lief, we cannot wait any longer," he croaked, attempting to project his voice over the wailing bundle in his arm. "We must return to the Palace and put Josef to sleep. It is getting late for him in any case."

Lief nodded in understanding. "Of course. We will see you two at supper, then?"

"I believe we will also retire to bed," Marilen answered with a shake of her head. "I am rather tired, as well. Good night, everyone, and do give Barda our apologies for not being here when he arrives." After they had all given their respective farewells and good-nights, she and Ranesh turned and strode swiftly with their still crying son towards the aged doors that barred the entrance to the Palace.

Lief continued to stare at the stone doorway long after they had both disappeared inside. He pitied Marilen and her husband. Josef had truly begun to take a toll on his young parents lately and the king suspected the couple had as little sleep as he himself did at times, albeit for completely different reasons.

Not long after Marilen had left, the boy was abruptly torn from his thoughts by a loud shout from the girl next to him: "Barda!" He turned his head in time to see Jasmine wave her free arm frantically at some shadows in the distance that were advancing up the hill. Upon closer inspection, he smiled widely as he clearly made out two figures situated atop what appeared to be horses.

Lief watched as Jasmine pulled her hand out of his grip and started running down the snake-like path towards the figures with Filli on her shoulder and Kree following close behind in the sky. He himself could not quite see and confirm whether it was truly Barda or not, but he knew better than to doubt Jasmine's superior vision and took off excitedly after his wife.

By the time he caught up with her, the first figure had already dismounted and stood next to its steed, brushing the horse's brown mane gently. Lief's face lit up when he saw that it was indeed Barda who stood there, as tall and broad as ever. When the young rulers reached their old bearded friend, they both immediately rushed to embrace him tightly, nearly knocking him off his feet.

"Oof," Barda grunted with a squint as they collided into him. "Must you do that each time? You are both becoming quite heavy." Pulling back, the couple grinned at one another as they both noticed the small twinkle of laughter in the man's eyes.

"Perhaps you should visit more often then, Barda," Lief said with a chuckle while throwing an arm around Jasmine, who nodded in agreement. "We would surely grow tired of hugging you if that were the case." From the evening air, Kree flew down and perched on a nearby tree, cawing in greeting at Deltora's third hero while Filli chattered in acknowledgement on Jasmine's shoulder.

"One would think I had just miraculously returned from the dead, the way you two act," Barda scoffed in mock exasperation. Lief grimaced slightly at this; unpleasant memories of Barda's many near-death moments began flooding into his mind, from being saved by the Lilies of Life to Dain's treacherous poisoning. He promptly shook his head clear of such thoughts.

"Oh, lay off it, Old Bear. They have clearly missed you."

Remembering the man had not arrived alone, Lief looked up towards the other figure who had spoken. "Hello, Lindal," he said with a smile while Jasmine gave a polite wave beside him.

"Greetings, little king!" Lindal boomed in return with a broad grin of her own as she waved back at Jasmine. Oddly, she did not alight from her horse even after having reached them and Lief noticed she was wrapped in a large dark shroud that seemed to blend in with the black coat of her mare. The shawl covered her completely from the neck down and only her bald head and muscular arms and were visible. Lindal had always been a rather burly woman who rivaled even Barda in terms of height; however, despite her past reconciliation with the Ruby Dragon, she still followed Broome culture faithfully and kept her head shaved and painted.

Joining the reunion, Sharn and Doom appeared suddenly from behind after following their excitable children down the roadway and also offered their own greetings. "It is good to see you again, Barda," Sharn spoke when she reached them, "and you as well, Lindal." Lief watched as the Broome couple bowed their heads respectfully in reply to his mother, who continued: "Marilen and Ranesh send their apologies for not being present."

"Aye," said Doom. "Josef has been quite the handful lately."

"A shame," Lindal replied nonchalantly, "we will have to see them on the morrow then."

Barda, meanwhile, raised both of his eyebrows in surprise at the scarred man. "You are still here, Doom?" he asked. "It has been months since last we visited. I would have thought you would be out chasing dragons and the such by now." At this, Lief focused his attention on his father-in-law curiously. He too had often inwardly wondered why Doom still had not left the Palace; after all, the man had said he had wanted to study in detail Deltora's flying beasts. The boy glanced beside him at Jasmine, who seemed to be listening closely herself to her father's next words.

"The time is not right," Doom answered with a dismissive shrug. "My desires are not urgent, and Ranesh is clearly too involved with Josef at the moment to take my place as an advisor." Barda nodded slowly in understanding. It seemed Doom would be staying in the Palace for a while; at least until the lives of the current Palace Librarians stabilized a little.

From atop her horse, Lindal began to grin widely once more. "Things are slow to change here in Del, are they not, Old Bear?" she joked with a deep chuckle. "Why, look at Jasmine! All those months since we have last seen her and she _still_ has the waist of a maiden!"

Lief mentally cringed at the woman's choice of words, which seemed to echo the sentiment of the numerous letters he had been receiving recently. There was no doubt mounting pressure from the conservative classes in Del for an heir to the Belt, and while Lief had been rather successful in keeping this fact from his wife, the last thing he needed was for Lindal to add to it.

Next to him, Jasmine gave a lighthearted snort in response. "I should think I cannot be held accountable for that, Lindal," she retorted with a smirk. "After all, even by Del's standards, I am no longer viewed as one."

Hearing this, Lief did a double take and looked down in surprise at his wife; he had not expected her to disclose their more private moments so openly. Feeling the stares of the others on him, he glanced up and was met with a mix of curious and amused expressions, which fostered a deep scarlet shade on his cheeks. Both Sharn and Barda had knowing smiles etched on their faces; however, the stoic face Doom wore made Lief shift uneasily on his feet. Were such things not expected of a married couple? And if not, then Adin forgive him for doing _his_ part in securing an heir.

Meanwhile, Lindal and Jasmine seemed oblivious to the distress that they were inducing on Lief and carried on nominally in their conversation. "The little king does not please you enough, eh?" jested the laughing Broome woman, who was then joined by the boisterous guffawing of her husband.

At this, Doom ominously raised a single brow, all the while keeping his steady gaze on his son-in-law and causing Lief to chuckle nervously. Although the man was not one to be an overprotective father, the boy knew better than to take any chances. When Jasmine seemed about to respond to Lindal, he hastily pulled her to his chest and clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Barda," Lief called to the still laughing man in a desperate bid to change the topic. "You said you had some news to share?" Struggling to contain the girl in his arms, he could almost feel the menacing glare she directed at him and he flashed her an apologetic smile.

The bearded man cleared his throat as he recovered from his hysterics at the young king's expense. "Ah, yes," he began. "It is funny we should mention a woman's waistline and the like, for I bring good tidings indeed." Offering his hand to Lindal, who still sat situated on her horse, Barda gently helped her down to stand on the cold stone path and made a deliberate show of carefully unwinding the fabric wrapped around her.

Eyes widened and Lief heard the girl he held draw a sharp intake of breath as Lindal was slowly revealed in whole. While the woman was just as strong and muscular as she had always been, a single peculiarity stood out and a silence settled on the group. Much to their astonishment, in the middle of the Lindal's belly was a noticeably small bump: an indication that could have only one meaning.

For a long moment, nobody spoke, and in truth, nobody wished to in fear of saying the wrong thing. Instead, they continued staring mouth agape at Lindal while Barda stood and crossed his arms smugly with a smirk.

Off to the side, Sharn was the first to overcome her shock and rushed to embrace the expectant couple tightly with newly formed tears filling her aged eyes. "How long?" she asked Lindal softly, breaking the stunned silence that had washed over them all.

"It has been almost a fortnight since I have begun to show." At this, Barda moved to place a hand on his wife's stomach and beamed proudly as he accepted Doom's own hardened congratulatory handshake.

Lief, in turn, quickly followed his mother's example and released Jasmine from his hold to embrace the father-to-be. "I am very excited for you, my friend," he said sincerely. His heart was full; after so many years of darkness, it seemed life in Deltora was truly starting to brighten. "But why did you not tell us sooner?"

"I had considered it," Barda replied with a shrug, "but I figured it would be a more pleasant surprise to tell you all in person." Lief smiled in agreement alongside his old friend and laughed to himself as he envisioned a miniature version of Barda running around bare naked in Broome. All the more reason to visit the Ruby city in the future.

* * *

For the next hour, they continued in companionable conversation, with the men reminiscing about their recent happenings and ordeals, while Sharn gushed maternally over Lindal. Soon, the horizon darkened considerably as the setting sun sunk behind the rolling green hills of the country side. In the dusk sky, the sliver of a growing moon could be seen and the shimmers of stars began popping sporadically as twilight began to set in.

"It is almost time for supper," Sharn reminded gently as she gazed admiringly at the fiery orange halo in the distance. "Shall we return?" Looking up at the early night, Lief nodded thoughtfully; they had been out longer than he had realized.

"Well I, for one, am quite starved!" announced Barda as he worked to rein up his mare. "But first, Lindal and I must take our steeds to Zerry." He reached his hand out to Lindal to help her back up on her own horse, but was refused the honor as she rolled her eyes and defiantly worked her way on top of the saddle herself. Shrugging his broad shoulders, the man tugged softly on the reins and began to lead the horses up the winding path to the stables with Lindal trailing after him.

Lief watched as his mother and Doom also proceeded to follow them towards the Palace. Not wanting to be left behind, the boy turned around, intending to take the hand of his wife. Instead, he found Jasmine to be seemingly lost in her own thoughts, with her eyebrows furrowed in a manner that he had always found adorable and her emerald eyes piercing the ground in front of her feet.

"Jasmine," Lief called in an attempt to catch her attention. She snapped her head up at the sound of his voice and turned her head towards him, surprised to find that they had been left alone. Like Barda, he then offered his own hand with a small smile and jerked his head to the side to indicate where the others had gone. Unlike Barda, however, his wife accepted his gesture and gave a sharp whistle to call for Kree, who flew down from the tree branch to land beside Filli on her shoulder.

In no real hurry, Lief began making his way back home and walked at a much slower pace than the others. He stole a glance at the girl as she fell into place beside him and subsequently returned to her previous state of deep pondering. She had been strangely quiet for quite some time now, and a part of him wondered if there was anything bothering her. Knowing Jasmine, it could very well be nothing; she was certainly a very difficult person to read at times.

"Is something wrong, Jasmine?" asked Lief after a considerable length of silence, a hint of concern edging in his voice.

"Hmm?" she replied absently. "No, nothing is wrong." Lief knew his lovely queen was not particularly adept at lying, but even he had to admit that this was a poor attempt on her part.

"Are you sure?" To say he was unconvinced would be a notable understatement, but getting a real answer from her would prove to be a very different story in and of itself. Nevertheless, the dismissive wave of her hand and her flippant attitude in the words that followed were more than enough to deter the young king from questioning further:

"You worry too much, Lief."


	3. Nothing Less

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters are the creative property of Emily Rodda.

Lief groaned tiredly as he stalked the empty dark halls of the Palace to his chambers. Unfortunately for him, a cancellation midway into a midnight meeting on a previous night only meant a continuation of said meeting on the next; the only result being another significant loss of time for slumber. All was quiet around the boy, the sole source of illumination being the streaks of moonlight through the stained glass windows and the faint glow of the Belt around his waist.

He stumbled along in a groggy haze, ready to curl up once more next to his wife and attempt to salvage as much sleep as he could until sunrise. He hated when Jasmine had to retire to their bed alone, especially while he was off falling asleep to the monotones of an advisor in a separate room, but he knew it could not be helped. It was not as if she was particularly interested in attending the midnight meetings in any case, and he really would rather her not have to suffer through the same.

_At least one of us is getting some sleep,_ he yawned to himself, unsuccessfully trying to rub the tiredness out of his eyes.

That being said, he honestly hoped that some more rest would do Jasmine good. She had not been herself ever since Barda had arrived in Del; and although he had a sinking suspicion as to why that was so, he knew better than to question her when she was moody.

Lief slowed his pace as he neared the room Barda and Lindal had claimed as their temporary abode, noting that it was Barda's old chambers when the man still resided in the Palace. The wooden door was firmly closed, but nevertheless a pair of loud snores resonated deeply from within. The king smirked at this as he crept quietly past the room, not wanting to accidentally wake the expectant couple.

He and Jasmine had certainly missed Barda through the past months, and it filled his heart to have been able to spend some time with their close friend. Lief chuckled softly to himself as he recalled the supper they had shared only hours before, having laughed merrily at the big man's iconic and ravenous appetite. An overwhelming feeling of nostalgia settled on the boy as he reminisced about the simpler times he had spent with his two companions before fate had thrown him into the dragon's den, so to speak.

When he turned the corner, a glimmer of gold from a distant doorway sparkled under the full moon, drawing his attention. Lief easily distinguished the intricately carved woodwork and decorated trim of the Palace Library's entrance as he drew closer. A small oddity soon caught his eye, however: one of the library's double doors was slightly ajar, a warm glow emanating from the open crack.

_Strange,_ the boy mulled while slowing once more out of curiosity as he approached the light. _I had thought Marilen and Ranesh had already gone to sleep._ Had Josef woken his parents again?

"... no, help me fetch another, Kree," demanded a soft voice from within, causing Lief to freeze in his tracks.

_Jasmine?_ he thought in disbelief. She had spoken in a low whisper, but her voice had still been immediately recognizable.

He moved in front of the open slit between the double doors and poked his head in, peering around the room. Sure enough, there sat his wife at a wooden table with a large leather-bound scripture open in front of her. Loose papers were strewn all around and a stubby, lit candle completed the scene, bringing a strong sense of déja vu to the young king.

Meanwhile, a frustrated growl echoed in the darkening room as the girl swept the book off the table onto a growing stack of papers on the floor. She sighed deeply and laid her head on the table in defeat; Filli, who had been resting nearby scurried to her and rubbed against her cheek in a consoling manner.

"This is hopeless, Filli," she lamented irritably. "Maybe it is just me..." The Siskis chattered in disagreement and began bouncing on top of the table.

Thinking it best to intervene sooner rather than later, Lief pushed the door open gently and gave a light knock on the wooden frame. His wife jumped slightly in shock at the noise, which he found odd; it was not often that he was able to sneak up on her.

"Are you alright, Jasmine?" he called out in concern.

She swiveled her head around to look at him. "What are you doing here?"

He moved cautiously towards her, closing the door quietly behind himself. "I could be asking you the same thing. What were you reading?"

The color drained from her cheeks at his question and she moved her leg in an abrupt attempt to inconspicuously kick the pile of rejected literature under the table. "N-nothing," she stuttered equivocally, plastering an innocent smile on her face.

Lief narrowed his eyes in a hawklike fashion, not believing her in the least as he stopped to stand beside her chair. Just then, a swirl of black flitted by as Kree returned with another thick book captured in his claws and laid it carefully down on the table. The bird puffed his chest in pride at having accomplished his mission so deftly.

Ignoring the girl's protests, Lief snatched at the book and squinted at the title, grimacing as he did so. Curious though, he gingerly opened the cover to a random page and immediately regretted his prying. Why Jasmine would feel the need to read a documented journalism on the anatomy of female humans, he had not the slightest idea; however, this only confirmed what he suspected had been bothering her since Barda's arrival.

He glanced at the girl, who had shrunken in her seat and was casually looking anywhere but at him. "Will you tell me what is the matter _now_?"

"I already told you before, Lief," she groaned in exasperation. "Nothing is the matter!"

Unconvinced, the boy held up the book he held in his hand. "Then I assume you are reading this for leisure?"

He looked down at her expectantly, though not truly intending to appear as though he was accusing her. Still, it seemed Jasmine had taken it that way as she suddenly glared back at him in distaste. "And what if I was? It is none of your concern."

"You most definitely _are_ my concern, Jasmine," he shot back, his own frustration beginning to rise. He promptly moved his fingers over the Amethyst in an effort to calm himself. "What is the matter with you? Just this morning you were happy—playful even."

At this, she stood up and tossed her black hair which shimmered in the moonlight that filtered through the windows. "You know exactly why, Lief," she snapped, grabbing at the book. She then lowered her emerald eyes and murmured sadly: "Do you wish that I humiliate myself further by admitting it to you out loud?"

The king sighed in vexation, rubbing his temples with his index fingers. Humiliate herself? No, that was not what he wanted. But to admit any problems she had to him? Then, yes of course. "Is this about Barda and Lindal?" he asked while opting to not answer her own question.

For a long minute, Jasmine did not respond, instead staring wistfully into the flickering flame of the candle and averting her eyes. Suddenly, she gave a small nod. "Seeing them only reminded me of my own inefficacy—"

Knowing full well where this conversation was headed, Lief interrupted her hastily. "We have discussed this too many times already," he said. "It will happen when it happens. But can we not just enjoy our time together a little longer before bringing a child into this world?"

"I was under the impression it was urgent."

Lief opened his mouth to speak again but hesitated before choosing his next words carefully. In a way, it _was_ urgent; however, he was not going to let her know that anytime soon. "Marilen is still my heir. We can take as long as we need." The latter was not an entirely shameless lie, though he was aware that the nobility of Del would sooner revolt than submit to a full-blooded Toran ruler.

"That would be selfish. Is that how you want your people to think of us?" she questioned while shaking her head. "Most of them are expecting it already, anyway."

"When did you begin to care about what others think of you, Jasmine? Our business is our own, not theirs."

Snapping her head around to face him, a familiar flash of green fury erupted from her irises as the girl shook off her momentary self-pity. "Oh, please forgive me, Lief," she seethed sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. "I had forgotten that marrying a king meant that I would be entitled to the utmost in privacy."

The boy merely blinked in reply, not quite knowing how to respond as he vainly attempted to figure out how she could so quickly jump from one emotion to the next. Drawing a blank after several moments, he frowned and muttered to himself: "Given your constantly-changing temperament today, I would not be surprised if you already _were_ pregnant..."

Jasmine huffed indignantly when she heard this. "Well if that were the case, then good. Perhaps your loins are not so useless and disappointing after all." She crossed her arms and turned her head in disdain, causing Lief to flinch self-consciously; though he knew she did not mean it, he had to admit that what she had said certainly stung at his male confidence.

"You have never complained about my 'loins' before..." he mocked in a low, and perhaps unwise tone. He gave a small cry of surprise and ducked as she chucked a wad of paper at his head from seemingly nowhere.

"That is because I did not feel like crushing that overinflated ego of yours!" retorted Jasmine as she readied to throw another crumple of discarded paper.

Off to the side, both Kree and Filli stared at Lief helplessly, as if begging him not to further draw her ire. Her emotions today were becoming wildly unpredictable and he was finding it rather difficult to keep up with her disposition. With his body yearning for sleep, he tiredly held his arms up in surrender. "Alright, alright. May we please just go to bed now?"

Much to his relief, Jasmine lowered her armed hand and gave a deep exhale. However, Lief had to watch in disappointment as she shook her head again and retook her seat, centering the book on the table in front of her. "Go without me, and take Kree and Filli with you," she said with a dismissive wave. "I want to at least find out something about the problems I am having first."

Resigned and exhausted, he nodded solemnly with a sigh. "There is nothing wrong with you, Jasmine," he said as he leaned down to place a tender kiss on the top of her head, "but I understand."

Turning on his heel to leave, he held out his arm for Kree while Filli promptly jumped to nestle in his usual spot on top of the boy's head. "Just do not take too long."

* * *

Hours passed and Lief groaned as he opened his eyes groggily. His chambers were still dark, indicating that the morning was still early. He subconsciously groped at the space next to him, only to find nothing there. Almost immediately, alarm flooded into his mind, snapping out of his stupor; however, he was quick to remember where his missing bedmate was.

Stretching silently so as to not wake Kree nor Filli, the boy swung his feet over the edge of the bed and plopped down onto the cold stone floors before tiptoeing out the room. He moved swiftly down the hallway, finding his way back to the magnificently-trimmed wooden doors.

Lief placed a hand on the doors and gave a light push. He smiled softly at the sight that greeted him: still seated at the table with an open book, it seemed his queen had been unable to fight the lure of sleep. Her head rested on the book peacefully and her long hair flared wildly as she slept.

He crept in silence towards her and moved to pinch the end of the still burning candle, which by now had all but melted into a waxy puddle. Thanking the heavens that she had not inadvertently started an inferno in a room full of priceless literature, he proceeded to scoop the relatively weightless girl up in his arms and carry her back to his chambers.

Jasmine stirred slightly at the disturbance, but otherwise remained deep in her dreams, which surprised him given how she was a notoriously light sleeper. He took care not to bounce too much in his steps and cradled her head against his chest. Once in the room, he gently lowered her onto the bedsheets, and climbed in to join her sleeping form. Draping an arm lazily around her waist, Lief nuzzled his nose into her silken hair, relieved that she at least seemed to be less frantic.

As he slowly drifted back to sleep, he mused grimly on the possibility that she actually did become pregnant in the hopefully distant future. Jasmine had always been an ardent person, but coupling this fact with the emotional instability of a child-bearing women? That was a dreadful thought, indeed.

Still, Lief knew he would be in for much worse when the girl awoke to find that she had been relocated without permission. And for that, he expected nothing less.


	4. Sticks and Stones

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters are the creative property of Emily Rodda.

If Marilen did not know any better, she would have assumed a terrible storm had struck the Palace last night and specifically targeted the library for reasons unknown. But that would be wishful thinking. There was debris everywhere; books were scattered all over the marbled floor and papers had been littered around indiscriminately.

Clutching a few discarded texts under her arm, the woman clicked her tongue in distaste as she bent down to gingerly pick up another crumpled wad of paper. She and Ranesh had arrived earlier only to discover the torrent of a mess, further exacerbating the limited energy they had left from dealing with their son's waking tantrums. As a result, the couple had been forced to ask Sharn to watch over Josef while they spent the better half of the morning tidying the den.

Curse the miscreants who did this. What was the point in opening the Royal Library to the public if they were only going to treat one of Deltora's greatest treasures with such disrespect? Having noticed the material contained within the variety of books that had been dumped haphazardly, Marilen had a fairly decent idea who the culprits had been. As such, she had half a mind to tell those immature deviant children what for, but at this point was much too physically fatigued to do anything to that regard.

"That seems to be the last of it," Ranesh spoke with relief as he collected the remainder of strewn papers. "Nothing appears to have been stolen, at least."

Marilen merely shook her head in exasperation and began to sort through the books in her arms. She could not even begin to imagine why there was no locking mechanism for the library doors, but this would certainly make a well-founded case for when she would decide to suggest a redesign to Lief.

Just then, a soft creak sounded as the ill-fated golden doors opened slowly. Far from eager to greet any visitor, Marilen gritted her teeth; may Adin grant mercy to any unfortunate soul who crossed her today. However, when she saw the familiar figure of the young queen slip through quietly, her frustration faded in an instant.

A sharp intake of breath and a muttered curse escaped from Jasmine's lips as she examined the scene from the doorway. "I am so sorry, you two," she apologized abashedly. "I had meant to clean this up when I woke."

Raising an eyebrow, the pieces of the puzzle began falling into place as Marilen glanced quickly at her husband who shrugged in languor. So it had been _Jasmine_ who made the mess last night, and not some sordid adolescents as she had first thought. Relaxing slightly, the librarian smiled weakly at her confession; she still held some contempt for having to straighten up after someone else like a servant worker, but there was no way Marilen would be able to hold a grudge against her dear friend.

"It is alright, Jasmine," she lied as Ranesh dipped his head in greeting. "Good morning to you, though."

The queen returned the welcome politely, and it was then that Marilen noticed she was carrying an abnormally large stack of envelopes. From afar, it would have appeared almost comical how the mountainous pile of wax-sealed papers precariously balanced in the diminutive girl's arms, but upfront it only seemed harrowing at best. "What do you have there?"

Seeming to remember her purpose for entering the library, Jasmine became flustered as she struggled to readjust the papers into a comfortable position. "Huh?" she blurted before looking down at the items she held. "Oh, these are just... letters."

"Are any of them for us?" Ranesh questioned from the side.

"N-no!" she said quickly in reply, clutching the envelopes more closely to her chest and causing the two to recoil in surprise. "They are... for me."

To say that they were skeptical of Jasmine's claim would be a grotesque understatement; the girl seemed unusually jumpy and in any case the couple highly doubted that anyone other than Lief would receive _that_ many letters, no matter their position of power.

Marilen blinked once, but in the end decided to play along. "Alright then. Was there something you needed, Jasmine?" She did not miss the shrewd exhale of relief that escaped her friend's lips.

"I was looking for a candle."

"A candle?" Ranesh asked in confusion, finding it odd that the library would be the first place she would look for one. "But it is daylight out."

Jasmine bit the bottom of her lip. "Uhm... I need it to heat my dagger with," she explained lamely. "You know... so I can open these letters?"

If there was a worse explanation for looking so guilty, Marilen did not know. But it became painfully obvious that Jasmine had taken those envelopes without permission. Why else would anyone need to open a sealed letter with a heated knife unless they were planning on resealing the same parchment inconspicuously?

Looking in concern at Ranesh, she spoke slowly: "Whom are they really for?"

Jasmine's emerald eyes darted swiftly from one librarian to the next. For a minute, she did not answer, but eventually caved after realizing that she had been cornered. Scrunching her eyebrows, she murmured quietly in such a way so that neither of them could hear; but even so, Marilen had little doubt that she had mentioned the name of a certain king.

"You should know better than to steal, little one," Ranesh reprimanded with a short wag of his index finger, "and from Lief, much less."

At this, Jasmine harrumphed in anger. "_You_ are one to speak," she accused, pointing her own incriminating finger at the former thief. "Besides, I am not stealing. I plan on returning them later."

"_After_ you read the words that were not meant for you?" Marilen stepped in, setting down the books in her arms.

Jasmine growled and crossed her arms defiantly while turning her head. "Yes, if you must know," she returned. "Lief always sets aside certain letters that he says I cannot see, but he never explains why not." In her frustration, the girl had already forgone her initial quest for a candle and began to gently slice the tip of her dagger under the blood-red seal.

Ranesh had opened his mouth to speak, but the short queen beat him to it: "And do _not_ tell me that he has his reasons for doing so. That is a sickeningly feeble excuse that everyone seems to want to throw at me." He hastily closed his mouth once more.

They watched in worry as Jasmine crudely cut through the envelope and started to pull the neatly folded parchment out of its protective holder. "I do not think this is a good idea, Jasmine," Marilen began. "Where is Lief, by the by?"

"Still sleeping," the girl answered offhandedly, "but do not worry, I have Kree and Filli watching for when he awakens."

Despite this, the young mother continued to look on helplessly. Such a blatant invasion of privacy was not going to end well for her friend; she could just feel it. Ranesh, meanwhile, was apparently having none of this and swiftly moved to swipe the document out of Jasmine's hands, holding it high above her reach as she cried out in protest.

Marilen sighed in relief and mentally applauded her husband for his decisively speedy reaction to the situation. However, her jaw dropped in surprise as the man subsequently began to _read_ the letter himself while fending off attacks from an irate queen.

"Ranesh!" she chastised, feeling a strong obligation to defend her cousin. "What would Lief think of you if he saw this? You are supposed to be an advisor soon, for heaven's sake; he trusts you!"

"Relax, love," her husband replied evenly. "Besides, have you not always wondered what is all the hush-hush about these things?"

Marilen hesitantly mused at this for a minute. Indeed, true to his words, she too was curious about the influx of classified messages that Lief had been receiving lately. It was a strange case, in all honesty; the only top officials allowed in on the supposedly sensitive information were Doom and Sharn, and Adin knows those two could carry secrets to their grave, if need be.

That being said, there was still always that worn-out warning about curiosity killing cats and the such—but she was no feline! The woman gazed sidelong at Jasmine, who was still aggressively attempting to regain control of the piece of paper, and shrugged in concession. If anything, she rationalized, better to have tried and regretted than to have never tried at all.

Ranesh continued to scan the parchment in one hand as he fought off Jasmine with the other. Waiting patiently, Marilen watched as his face suddenly surfed through a variety of expressions, exhibiting both shock and fear. His deflections against Jasmine's fury of attacks weakened considerably as a thousand emotions swam in his widened eyes.

"What is it, darling?" Marilen asked in concern. "What does it say?"

"Uh..." He looked up between the two women in the room and swallowed nervously. "It—it is just a harvest report from a... farmer. That is all."

His wife narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, not one to fall fool to his tricks. It was a shame really; the thief's mendacious skills were clearly fading from prominence. "What does it say, _Ranesh_?" she repeated in emphasis, whilst ignoring his obvious fib.

Jasmine in turn had also stepped back to stand beside her with a hand on her hip. They gazed threateningly at the unfortunate man, awaiting an answer. Uneasy with the hardline stares, Ranesh backed away slightly, only to be matched a step by both women.

"Is it about me?" Jasmine prompted.

"Or _me_?"

Beyond intimidated, Ranesh contemplated whether the next few moments of his life would be filled with regret or immense pain. "Uhm, you are both correct?" he stated in a manner that was more akin to a question, choosing to split the difference between his two optional fates.

"What!?" they screeched together, causing him to wince from their pitch. Seeing that they were both readying to surge forward towards him, he briskly moved to hold the offending message behind his back.

"Give us the letter, Ranesh!" Marilen demanded with an outstretched palm to which he responded with a shake of the head.

Although Ranesh fought valiantly, the combined weight of both women grabbing at the parchment eventually succeeded in knocking his balance and deftly toppled him onto the floor with his back against the cold marble. Even after having fallen, however, neither of the two damsels showed any mercy as they lay sprawled on top of him and continued to dig around for the letter.

Alas, with all the commotion, even Jasmine's piqued hearing was unable to detect the soft click of an opening door.

"I... hope I am not interrupting anything..."

The three froze from the sound of the deep voice. Turning their collective heads towards the doorway, they stared in simultaneous mortification at the owner of the voice, who wore an appalled and slightly nauseated expression.

"Barda!" Jasmine exclaimed in surprise.

Sending a sharp glare at her husband, Marilen quickly recovered and leapt to her feet, sheepishly brushing the hem of her dress with the back of her hand. "Hello, Barda," she greeted calmly with an innocent smile after clearing her throat. "Welcome back to Del."

"Err... thank you," the bearded man said with a hint of discomfort. "But what were you three—never mind. I only came to tell you and Ranesh the news that Lindal is with child."

At this, Marilen clasped her hands together in joy. "Truly? Goodness, congratulations to you both!"

"Yes, well, I can see you are all... busy," Barda grumbled nervously as he glanced at Jasmine who still sat with a faint blush on Ranesh's stomach. "I will just be on my way then."

Backing away slowly, the Broome man did not hesitate to turn and squeak out of the room when the moment presented itself.

As Barda hastily scurried out of earshot, Ranesh proceeded to push Jasmine off of himself and steadily stood up. Distracted and dazed from the encounter, he could barely object when his wife seized the opportunity and snatched the letter out of his hands triumphantly with a humph.

"Marilen, please, you will not like what you see," he protested. When she still did not yield, he gave one last-ditch effort to convince her otherwise, using her own advice against her: "What would Lief think?"

She rolled her eyes at his words and tossed her long, straightened hair snidely. They had already stepped far into the metaphorical mud puddle; it was too late to pull out now.

Snubbing her husband's pleas, Marilen flattened the parchment on the nearby table and began to read silently to herself, surprised by its relative briefness. The message was indeed intended for Lief and was clearly written by some scribe working for a noble family, as evidenced by the formality of its address:

_"Your Majesty King Lief of Del,_

_We humbly appreciate your audience in receiving this message, should you..._

Blech. The customary drivel of faux bootlicking that always accompanied such things was revolting, to put it in the nicest of terms, and Marilen opted to instead skim over the more explicit attempts at currying favor.

_"...It has come to our attention that, at the time in which this letter is written, the crisis involving the line of succession has still yet to be resolved satisfactorily._

She raised an eyebrow. Crisis? That was an odd way to describe an event so many years ago; Marilen was aware that the short period in which she had been forced to wear the Belt of Deltora was a shaky time in their nation's political history, but never did she consider the issue a crisis. It was not as if the general public even knew that she had been wearing the Belt, in any case. She continued:

_"Therefore, the House of Kalgyren must reiterate its opposition against the naming of the Lady Marilen as the immediate successor to His Majesty. Just as the Torans treacherously spurned asylum to King Endon twenty years past, shall we also spurn allegiance to any Witch of the West or her spawn._

At this, she frowned markedly. It was no secret that the people of Del did not take an exceptional liking to her, but Marilen had no idea that their hatred of Tora ran so deeply. The traitorous crime that her people had committed against Endon happened, as they said, twenty years ago, and the Torans have regretted the act ever since.

Still, the woman took particular offense to their sly dig at her magical powers, abhorring the thought of being called a witch and the unfair judgment of her son. Quite frankly, the Kalgyren household name did not exactly sound familiar to her, and she doubted that they held much political power.

However, a small gasp soon escaped from the librarian's lips as she resumed reading the hostile missive:

_"Whether the commoners join in our opposition remains to be seen; however, we urge caution. The Queen that currently reigns has demonstrated a profound incompetence in siring a true heir and it will only become a matter of time before the populace becomes restless. It is a shame you did not heed our, and that of the other Houses', warning against taking a common harlot as a bride..."_

Refusing to read any further, Marilen clenched her fist bitterly, crinkling the letter in her palm as she snarled. No words could express the anger she felt. What made these _pigs_ believe they could say such things? Never mind the fact that they were effectively discussing open rebellion, the amount of flagrant disrespect they showed for Jasmine was enough to earn her hatred a thousand times over.

"I knew it would upset you," Ranesh spoke softly next to her.

It was truly unbelievable how little appreciation the people held for the heroine. What nonsense! Naming any woman a 'harlot' was not something to be thrown around haphazardly, and as far as she knew, Jasmine had done nothing to deserve such a socially stigmatizing label.

"What does it say, Marilen?"

Remembering the queen's presence, she dithered for a minute. Jasmine was a strong girl, that was undeniable, and there had always been an ever-present air of disapproval aimed at her by the nobles. But the words that Marilen had just seen were well beyond simple disapproval; they were hateful—bigoted even.

As it were, however, she was also aware that Jasmine deserved to know what these people were saying behind her back. Reluctantly handing the crumpled piece of paper over to the girl, she was only grateful that Jasmine had learned somewhat beforehand to transcribe official jargon properly. There was simply no way anyone in the room would be willing to read aloud such hate-filled words to her.

Slipping a hand into Ranesh's, the couple beheld her in undisguised trepidation as she struggled through the wall of galling text. Her expression became notably upset as Jasmine slowly made out the admittedly complicated wording. For a split second, a feeling of confusion visibly flashed through her emerald eyes, and in that second, Marilen knew that she had come across the treasonous insult.

"A harlot?" Jasmine croaked weakly, more to herself than anything. "Do I even want to know what that means?"

Glancing at one another warily, the two solemnly shook their heads as they waited for the inevitable wave of uncontrolled anger that was sure to explode outward. However, to their surprise, it never came. Instead, Jasmine unexpectedly choked back a sob and lowered her head as realization and understanding struck her.

"Jasmine?" called Marilen, reaching out an arm to rest a hand on her shoulders.

At the contact, the young queen raised her head slightly and revealed a true fright: her green eyes had darkened to a deathly hollow and were brimming with unshed tears. It was a sight unlike anything the two librarians would have ever dreamed of witnessing. In a matter of seconds, it seemed as if all the warmth and soul Jasmine normally evinced through the irises of what Lief had always called her 'most remarkable feature' had suddenly drained from her spirit.

She stood stock still, unmoving and without words as she stared desolately at the checkered pattern of the marble floor. Her arms hung limp at her sides, and even her ordinarily wild hair fell into a tangled mess down her back.

"Go wake Lief," Marilen muttered to her husband when Jasmine still did not answer. She quickly shooed at Ranesh, who nodded without objection and silently slipped out the golden doors in search of the king's chambers.

Intending to comfort her friend, she turned her head only to find that the poor girl had moved away. Having shifted quietly to one side, Jasmine began pawing through the stack of the other unopened letters she had brought in. Marilen watched in pity as she feverishly ripped through one envelope after another, glaring at their contents in hopelessness before lividly throwing them piecemeal to the ground.

"Jasmine, stop," Marilen pleaded as she saw the queen's tears threaten to spill. "Do not do this to yourself." At this point, there was little chance of things ending well, and she knew it. Seeing as Jasmine had taken only the forbidden envelopes, she was irrefutably certain that they also contained words similar to the first.

Marilen herself had found the letter to be hurtful, surely, but Jasmine had been fighting an uphill battle since the beginning, having taken her much effort to earn the trust of a skeptical public. So why was there not more outrage against those blasted aristocrats for clawing at the girl's confidence?

Now that she thought about it, why was there not more outrage against Lief for allowing it? He had always complained about pressure on _him_ for an heir, but did he not realize that the same pressure afflicted his wife as well?

She stole a glimpse at Jasmine, who had at last ceased to torment herself and now stood still once more with a hung head. "Incompetent and useless," the girl whispered harshly to herself. "They all say the same things."

It was no wonder that Lief refused to allow Jasmine to see such letters, but perhaps in this instance, his attempt at damage control had worked against him completely. Marilen's anger soon returned without warning and she found herself sympathizing greatly with her queenly counterpart.

How dare that dimwitted cousin of hers try to shield away such pertinent information from them all! She clenched her fists. One would think that the dullard had learned his lesson from the last time he kept secrets, having nearly destroyed the trust he shared with his companions. Lief was family, and Marilen loved him for that. But be that as it may, he was _distant_ family, and that did not stop her from disapproving the way he handled things with Jasmine. Even so many years later, she could tell that the king and queen's relationship was still anything but transparent.

Off to the side, the woman could see that Jasmine had picked up and was now staring bleakly at the original letter that had created the firestorm of emotions that permeated the room. The girl had not yet broken down as Marilen had expected, but there was still the watery glimmer that slowly dribbled down her cheeks and splashed onto the parchment.

"Stay strong, Jasmine," reminded Marilen gently as she moved to rest a hand on her shoulder again. "They do not know you the way we do."

She was aware that the young queen despised appearing weak by any means, and she silently commended her for not caving in to despair. However, that being said, Marilen had no idea what other vile things the rest of the letters had said, and if they were anything like the first, then she dearly hoped Ranesh would return soon; heaven knows that not even Jasmine would be able to hold back such powerful emotions for long.

As if on cue, the trimmed double doors suddenly flung open as a disheveled king burst into the room, followed closely behind by two equally disconcerted animals and a weary Ranesh.

"Jasmine!" called Lief.

The girl looked up at the sound of his voice. All at once, the dam that had been safeguarding the waterworks shattered from the force of pent-up sentiment as Jasmine collapsed in tears and rushed forward to bury her face in Lief's chest.

Taken off-guard by the unseemly show of emotion, he regarded Marilen anxiously. "What happened?"

The woman wordlessly gestured at the pile of torn envelopes on the floor and his eyes widened in dread as he recognized the elegant red seals that lay sprinkled on the ground. Wrapping his arms around his wife, he embraced her tightly as she proceeded to sob into his shirt uncontrollably. In a display of loyalty, both Kree and Filli scurried to Jasmine, nestling into her hair as they attempted to calm her.

Marilen felt a cold hand grasp her own and she tore her attention away from the saddening scene to face her husband.

"Will you be alright?" Ranesh asked, referring to the belittling words that had also been aimed at her. When she nodded absently, he continued: "Come, we should fetch Josef." She nodded again in agreement, understanding the subtlety in wanting to give them time to heal.

As the two librarians silently left to tend to their son, however, Marilen paused a moment to tap on the shoulder of her cousin, who glanced at her with a grievous expression.

"You have much to explain to _all_ of us," she hissed violently before sweeping out of the room.


	5. Fantasy

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters are the creative property of Emily Rodda.

The library was empty and all was quiet, save the occasional cries of anguish from Jasmine. Lief stood silently as he held her close, attempting to soothe her sobs with the gentle rubbing of his hand on her back. His heart broke seeing his wife so hurt—so defeated—but he knew not what he could do to ease her pain. Even Kree and Filli appeared at a loss on how to comfort their guardian.

It was torturous to see Jasmine like this, a broken shell of her former self. There no longer existed the homely warmth radiating outward from her slim body or the mesmerizing glow from her long black curls; and, if she was not hiding her face in his chest, he would daresay that there no longer existed the captivating shine from her emerald eyes.

Jasmine crying was not something new to Lief, but the instances in which she did were few and far between, to the point that the thought of it was almost mythical. As it were, the boy had very little experience in consoling her, and by and by settled on patiently waiting for her eyes to dry.

A plan easier said than done, to be sure, as the girl continued to steep the lining of his shirt with her tears. He tightened his embrace when he felt her arms forcibly convulse and moved to hush her softly in her ear. From Jasmine's shoulder, Filli in turn began to squeak out a whimper as the small creature nuzzled his fur against her bare neck.

The young king reached down to pry away at the incriminating parchment that Jasmine still clutched in her hand and proceeded to read it for himself. Like his cousin before him, he narrowed his eyes bitterly when he soon came across what was doubtlessly the offender in causing such an emotional downfall from his queen. He tossed the paper aside, letting the missive drift innocently onto the floor.

Such condemning words never failed to arouse in him a fierce sense of protectiveness over the girl, and he had seen many. Indeed, the other documents that now lay desolate on the floor were far from the first of their kind; yet, after months of seeing the familiar wax seals over and over again, Lief had learned to simply put aside such messages. It was only a forlorn happenstance that Jasmine managed to swipe this particular batch of letters before he had gotten the chance to throw them away.

Distressed by the feeling of despair that had settled in the room, Kree flew the short distance from Lief's shoulder to Jasmine's and joined Filli in enveloping his midnight wings around her neck. The three of them stayed together for a long while, all working in sync to grant her solace from their makeshift family.

After countless minutes, Lief had begun to lose track of time, but eventually the sobbing at last ceased and was replaced only by light sniffles. He did not speak as silence retook the room, afraid of saying the wrong thing, and instead chose to hold back until she spoke first.

Finally, Jasmine raised her head up at him, revealing her bloodshot orbs and reddened nose. "I apologize," she whispered, looking guiltily at his soaked upper body. She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I do not mind," Lief said, shaking his head and brushing away a stray lock of hair.

Her face fell, and she spoke quietly: "I should not have stolen from you."

The cynical half of him wanted to agree with her wholeheartedly, but he managed to restrain himself. He had been so careful—so meticulous—in shielding her from the worst that Del's aristocracy had to offer over the past months. And yet, like the snap of finger, all his efforts had been rendered futile in a matter of just one day.

"There was a reason why I did not want you to see those letters," Lief scolded gently, acknowledging the rather obvious.

"How would you have even known what they said?" she asked with another sniffle. "They were all unopened."

At this, his other half hesitated, embarrassed by what he knew to be the answer. He could not deny that therein existed a trivial breach of trust, but perhaps he had not gone about this in the most ideal fashion. After all, how many times had he promised both her and Barda that he would no longer keep things to himself? Nevertheless, here he was now, shamelessly chastising Jasmine for his own lapse in judgment.

"I... have been receiving the same complaints from the same people for quite some time now," he admitted remorsefully.

"W-what?" Her face darkened once more and she paused a moment. "So they have always thought this way of me?"

"I am truly sorry, Jasmine." He took her hands in his own and squeezed them in a silent plea for forgiveness. "I should have told you from the beginning, but I feared this would happen.

For an agonizingly long minute, the girl did not reply as she took his words in and Lief soon became anxious, dreading the possibility that she would refuse to forgive him this time around; heaven knows he had made plenty of unquestionably aggravating mistakes with her, and it sometimes surprised even himself how tolerant she was of him.

Choosing to ignore his apology altogether, she spoke suddenly with a heavy breath: "Words _do_ hurt."

At this, his expression softened and he pulled Jasmine into his chest once more. "I know," he concurred, resting his chin on the top of her head as she wrapped her arms around his waist, "but do not listen to them. You are none of those things." He spared a passing smile at Filli as the animal began hopping lightly on her shoulder in agreement.

"What have I done to wrong these people, Lief?"

"Nothing," he quickly assured her. "If anything, you have done more to _help_ them than they will ever know."

"Then why do they say such things?"

Lief glanced upward thoughtfully as he endeavored to describe the complex mindset of the kingdom's political elites in a way that she would understand. "The nobility are... stuck in the old ways," he began, "that is to say, in a time when only a certain kind of marriage would be acceptable—"

"An arranged marriage," Jasmine finished softly, "like your parents."

"Yes, and that is the custom that they have come to defend," Lief explained. He cupped her cheek in one hand and slowly guided her eyes to meet his. "They are unhappy with my break in tradition."

_No doubt a vague and ambiguous description to her,_ he mused as confusion and bewilderment continued to wallow in her green irises,_ but it is an explanation nonetheless._

In reality, it would have been quite difficult to properly clarify the complicated, and oft unusual, intricacies of how Del's various Houses viewed their incumbent queen: the truth being that there was simply an underlying sense of untold envy that rippled throughout the city's wealthiest families.

Though Lief hated to think of her in such a way, it was indisputable that their society would have placed Jasmine on a significantly lower rung on the class ladder had he not taken her as his wife. Perhaps not a commoner like that particular message had claimed, but definitely a less-than-acceptable social standing given her lineage under Doom.

However, as a result of their marriage, Jasmine had been instantly elevated into a ranking that was well above even the most economically powerful of aristocrats.

From their own egocentric perspectives, this wild and dirty girl had all but swindled her way to the top, a scandalous controversy in all sense of the word. It was an inconceivable hoodwink that every noble family, whether from Del or from Tora, had been denied the chance to advance their political position by marrying off their own daughter to the king.

Jasmine's eyes quivered as she scrunched her eyebrows together in deep thought and he soothingly massaged a thumb across her cheek, wiping away the dried tears.

"That does not explain why the rest of Del also dislikes me," she said in frustration.

"They do not, Jasmine," Lief argued. "The people here adore you."

"They do too!" she insisted, her strained voice breaking a note. "They desire a queen who can bear children, but I am unable to; your people are so _obsessed_ with heirs and the such..."

Were the situation not so serious, Lief would have laughed aloud at the truthfulness of her words. The citizens of Del were indeed remarkably obsessed with every imaginable type of heir, from presumptives to apparents. But though they might have been wary of Jasmine's ability to govern at first, that did not mean the general public had turned against her for not having become pregnant just yet; Lief knew for a fact that they cared deeply for their heroine.

After all, it had been the common people who had successfully lobbied him before the wedding to move his living quarters from the Forge back to the Palace. At their behest, he had reluctantly yielded to their concerns with having a heavily-pregnant queen 'walk such a long distance' each day or of her having to be 'left alone without supervision'. Persuading Jasmine to move with him, however, had been an entirely different story altogether. Of course, as it were, all their worries had been for naught.

"The Ralads love you," he reminded in a change of subject.

"The Ralads love Kree, not me," Jasmine corrected sadly, referring to the Ruby territory and their worship of the raven's heroic slaying of the sorceress, Thaegan. The bird squawked in proud agreement thereafter.

"Well, the Mere surely admire you," he tried again, moving to stroke her dark curls with his hand. "You _were_ their Rithmere champion, yes?"

"_Birdie_ was the Rithmere champion."

Lief gave an exasperated exhale. He wanted Jasmine to stop hurting, he really did. But if she kept needing to believe that the whole of Deltora was against her then there was little he could do at the moment to convince her otherwise.

Still, he could not fathom why she would even begin to think so. Yes, the letters must have been rather jarring for her to see firsthand, but the nobles' opinions rarely, if ever, agreed with that of their common counterparts.

In fact, he would wager that if Jasmine spent even a short amount of time mingling with the ordinary people, it would take no more than a few minutes before the flurry of hormonal young townsmen began to ogle her. An immensely disturbing and horrid scenario that tended to happen all too often, if he was honest.

Lief shook his head clear of any unwelcome thoughts, and tentatively leaned down to take her soft lips in his own in an effort to remind himself that she belonged to him. That said, he also sincerely wished she would understand from the gesture that she _was_ loved, not just by their subjects, but by the three of them as well.

He kept the kiss strenuously innocent, not wanting to push her emotions into areas not appropriate for the time being. However, his heart fell when Jasmine did not return the affection and he made no attempt to conceal his frown.

Grasping her shoulders, he pulled her away from their embrace and held her out at arm's length. "Please do not let this small incident get to you, Jasmine," he pleaded as he stared into her still downtrodden expression. "They are not worth becoming upset over."

"That is easy for you to say," she rebuked. "They do not say _you_ are incompetent—"

"Of course they do!" Lief interrupted incredulously, unable to believe what he was hearing. He had not intended to take offense at what she said, but true to his nature, his patience was quickly wearing thin.

He stared at her dubiously, resisting the urge to shake some sense into her. The nerve of this girl! "Do you honestly think that _everyone_ approves of me? Incompetent, inexperienced, immature... I have heard every word beginning with 'i' that you could possibly imagine, Jasmine!"

She visibly flinched from the harshness of his tone, and even Kree and Filli turned their heads at him in surprise, but he failed to notice either as he continued to rant: "Only fools believe in universal acceptance, and _you_ are supposed to be the practical one of us?"

A hint of pain flashed across her emerald eyes as fresh tears began to swell underneath, and Lief soon became mortified when he realized what had unknowingly escaped his mouth. He cursed softly at himself for having momentarily lost control; he should have known better than to yell when she was at her most vulnerable.

Inhaling deeply, the boy brushed his fingers across the Amethyst on the Belt around his waist as he tried to recover his composure from the erratic outburst. The tranquility provided by the great gem washed apace over him and he subsequently exhaled in a slow breath. Now was not the time to fight with his wife.

Calming himself, the king began again, albeit much more gently. "You must disillusion yourself from this fantasy, Jasmine," he counseled. "Not everyone will take you for who you are, nor should you expect them to."

She gave a slight sniffle, but otherwise remained speechless. If truth be told, such a reversal of roles in their relationship was fairly ironic. Normally, it was _Jasmine_ who had to anchor _him_ into reality with her voice of reason, not the other way around. Pulling her back into his chest, Lief proceeded to hold her closely as before; he did not know if she would take his advice to heart, but it was the best he could give at the moment.

Indeed, he himself had struggled in the past to accept the fact that there were always going to be dissenters, no matter what action he took. For him, it had been the poorer classes, especially when he had been first designated as the hereditary ruler of the vast land. Understandably, many of the starving paupers had doubted him in the beginning, given his ancestors' legacy of gluttonous apathy; and if it were not for his own humble origins, garnering the faith of the general populace would have been a much more difficult task, to say the least.

But wooing the hearts of the common working man was nothing like winning over the aristocracy. Unwieldy standards had to be established, and rigid expectations had to be met. Even Lief did not enjoy the utmost in support from the upper classes, and he was Adin's bloodline; so to presume that they would do so for Jasmine would be a folly in and of itself.

That, of course, left her with only two choices in which to progress forward: she could endlessly waste her time attempting to please the nobles or she could ignore their hateful words and realize that she had already won the hearts of thousands in the city, and throughout Deltora. He silently prayed she would choose the latter.

Slowly, Jasmine began to pull away from his embrace and moved her hands toward her shoulders to clutch at Kree and Filli. "I wish to go to bed," she whispered suddenly while brushing back the hair that had fallen in front of her elfin face.

Lief nodded. "Would you like me to stay with y—"

"Alone."

In an unprecedented motion that shocked the boy into disbelief, Jasmine shoved her hands forward and dumped her faithful companions into Lief's arms.

The poor animals swiveled their heads to look at her in confusion, but only received an apologetic shake of her head in return. Despite their pleading squawk and chatter, Jasmine stalked hastily towards the golden archway and slid out of the room without a word, leaving the three of them behind.

As they watched her disappear, Filli scurried up Lief's arm and hid under his cotton shirt, mewing sadly from beneath the fabric at her rejection. Stillness befell the empty library once more as the king shared a worried glance with Kree, whose feathers had also drooped downward dishearteningly.

An overwhelming sense of grief lingered in the vast room as Lief stared at the still open doors. He desperately wanted to chase after her, hating the feeling of being so helpless, but hesitantly he stopped himself. Past experience told him that such hotheaded actions could potentially reconcile to a happily-ever-after; however, a part of his mind subconsciously recognized that this was a battle Jasmine would have to overcome on her own.

Lief sighed deeply and bent down as he began clearing the mess of papers and torn envelopes on the checkered floor. Marilen and Ranesh had already tidied up the room once today; he figured the very least he could do was not force them to do so again. However, just as he was about to grab at the original letter from the Kalgyren family, Kree swooped down from the boy's arms without warning and landed gracefully on the floor next to the message.

Clamping his beak around the document, the bird wasted no time and flew swiftly towards the nearest wooden table, dropping the letter on its surface. He then raised his head up to caw once loudly before proceeding to rake his legs across the wrinkled parchment in rage, permanently marring the elegant penmanship with thin open scars.

The ear-splitting scratch of Kree's sharpened talons against the glossy wood was painful, to put it lightly, but Lief found that he could not care less. Ordinarily, one would find it an ignominious farce that a mere bird would have enough cognitive thought to be able to discern the source of its guardian's sorrow; however, this was no ordinary bird, and the king did not doubt Kree's intelligence in the slightest.

Lief watched in silent sympathy as the raven relentlessly tore into the letter, admiring the emotional display of unrivaled loyalty. He understood the sentiment, the need for a symbolic show of justice.

"You and I both, Kree," he muttered quietly while resuming his mundane task of collecting the discarded papers. "You and I both."


End file.
